Audience Statement
This memoir is one of a personal experience with the basis of food. The type of audience that would be interested in this type of food writing. Would be those who enjoy stories about food, and the people who have experienced unusual events centered around food. Also people who read articles in magazines such as Cook’s Illustrated. A magazine which applies to an audience of mostly middle aged women, the stay at home mom who cooks her days away, or just someone who enjoys food and all things food related.
When Gourds Attack
HONK! “RUUUUNNNNNNN!” yells my mother as the geese chase after us. “This is all your fault mommy.” I think to myself while in full sprint to the car. Who would have thought a gourd would start all this. The day started out as cool autumn morning with a low fog. My mom had just finished getting me ready for preschool, we were running late. We rushed out the door into the car. My mother with her coffee in hand and me with my Eggo waffle. My mom set her coffee on the roof of the car so she could buckle me into my car seat. She started down the road and we soon pulled up to my preschool, it was in the basement of an old white church that stood about two stories high. My mother opened the door and let me out. As I headed towards the door where my teacher waited I yelled back to her, “MOMMY DON’T FORGET MY SNACK FOR AFTER SCHOOL!” She yelled back, “OKAY, I PINKY PROMISE I WON’T FORGET YOUR SNACK!” I was holding her to that promise. My afternoon snacks were the highlight of my day as a little 3 year old. The whole day I kept thinking about what kind of snack it could be. I was going around bragging to all my friends telling them “My mommy is bringing me a surprise snack later.” I waited patiently all day and when it was finally time to go home. I was the first to run to find my mom in the parking lot. When I found her I asked where my snack was and she told me it was in the car. She then took my hand and led me to the car. Where my mystery snack sat waiting for me.
When we got to the car I quickly and joyfully asked where my snack was as. My mom told me it was in the bag under the seat. I immediately jumped out of my car seat and scurried to look under the seat. Sure enough there was a plastic Shoppers bag under the seat with my mystery snack inside. I climbed back into my car seat and carefully opened the bag. What I saw inside shocked me. I reached my hand in and pulled out a green gourd. This disgusting oddly shaped green pumpkin looking thing sat in my hand and stared at me. “Is this poisonous?” I thought in my head. The thought of, “Is my mom trying to kill me?” ran through my head and I immediately threw the gourd on the ground and yelled “WHAT IS THIS?!” As my mom just sat there a laughed at me like an evil witch. I became very confused as to why she was so amused at the horrible state of affairs she had put me in. “That is your snack.” she told me, once she calmed her cackling. I gave her a sideways look and said, “How am I supposed to eat this?” She just giggled and told me to figure it out. I was three; how was I supposed to figure out how to eat something I had never even seen until now.
Once my mother finally calmed all of her laughing down she said “How about we go to McDonald’s instead.” I nodded my head vigorously while leftover tears still streamed down my face. My mother was ingenious at coming up with ways to make things better. We pulled up to a shopping center and right away I saw the bright yellow, M shaped beacon of hope. As per usual I ordered a chicken nugget Happy Meal. while my mother ordered a McDouble with fries. We decided we would eat our meal at Pohick Bay Park. When we got there we settled down at a picnic table by the water. As a few geese swam up towards us I began to get nervous. “We should go. The geese are getting close.” I said to my mom. To which she just replied, “Relax honey they aren’t going to hurt you.” HA! That’s what she thought.
Slowly more geese started to show up and then…. WHAM. Three geese jumped onto the table, honking and flapping their wings. I screamed bloody murder as my mother yelled, “RUUUUNNNNNNN!” I grabbed my little red box of happiness right before a goose could take a bite and I started full sprint to the car. As we ran I could only think of how this was all my mom’s fault. If she had just given me a real snack none of this would be happening. My little heart filled with rage as tears streamed down my face. The geese were gaining on us. I was almost home free when, as I hopped into the car, a goose nipped the back of my shirt. I began to bawl when my mother came over and consoled me. All of a sudden my rage towards her melted away. She was no longer the evil witch who tried to poison me with a gourd. She was my mommy.
Reflection:
In my food memoir there is not much that I would change. I feel it is an overall pretty good essay. However, one point I would try to fix would be to have the purpose of the essay be more clear and concise. I feel this would make the essay almost near perfect. There are also some grammatical changes I would fix as well. I think I would also add a little more visual discription to the middle and end of my essay in order to give the reader a better mental picture.